Why Ollas? Diana discovered ollas,
or "pitcher irrigation" while writing a grant for a community garden in her neighborhood. They looked like a fun
project to add to the garden, while making it easier to maintain and save water at the same time. Her community garden, the Olmos Park Terrace Community Garden won the grant from Green Spaces Alliance. The grant provided funds to buy clay to make the ollas and, under the supervision of Diana, the neighborhood worked together
to make the ollas. The first year of the community garden was 2011, the year of record drought in Texas. The garden performed
well under extreme circumstances and further convinced Diana that ollas were a viable means of irrigating. She has since
refined her technique and process of creating extremely durable ollas and offers them for sale for $45 each. There are a few
people that are producing or importing ollas for a little less cost, but Diana feels that the strength of her special claybody
and decorative glazing techniques puts her product way ahead of the competition!

Ollas (pronounced “oya”) are porous hand made clay pots
that have been fired in a kiln and then are buried underground. The body of the pot is left unglazed and the top, exposed
portion and lid are glazed. When filled with water, the clay pot turns into an amazing high-tech device. The micro-pores of
the clay pot allow water to seep into the surrounding soil. The water seepage is regulated by the water needs of any nearby
plant's roots. When the plant's water demands have been fulfilled and the soil is moist, the water seepage from the clay pot
will stop. When the soil becomes dry, water seepage will begin again. This seepage is controlled by soil moisture tension.
It's automatic irrigation without timers or electronic sensors!

How to Use:

1.
Bury your olla in the ground or in the center of a larger container up to the glazed portion of its neck.

2.
Place seeds or plants around the circumference of the olla. Fill the olla with water and place the glazed lid over the top
to prevent evaporation and mosquitoes.

3. Continue to water the seeds or plants and keep the olla filled daily
for a week or two to help get them established, then switch to just adding water to the olla. Mulch around the plants and
olla to further prevent evaporation.

4. It is hard to estimate how often you will need to add water to the olla. Variables are: # of plants,
amount of rainfall, types of plants, etc. Based on our experience, and using one bell pepper or tomato plant per olla, I only
needed to add water about every 5-7 days during the drought of 2011!

Advantages of Olla Irrigation:

Good for soil structure. Because water is not poured onto the soil, the
seed bed stays loose and plenty of air can circulate.